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Is Franchising Doomed?
Strategies for Negotiating with a Franchisee and Franchisor
Before committing to a franchise business, consider...
A California federal court granted a motion to compel arbitration by retail franchisor Batteries Plus and its two executives, and dismissed a franchisee’s action alleging violations of the California Franchise Investment Law,...more
A federal court in California recently granted a motion brought by a franchisor and two of its employees to compel arbitration and dismiss an action alleging violations of the California Franchise Investment Law, breach of...more
The Tenth Circuit has ruled in favor of KFC in a dispute with a franchisee alleging a breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. Kazi v. KFC US, LLC, 2023 WL 4983119 (10th Cir. Aug. 4, 2023)....more
A federal district court denied a pizza franchisor’s motion to dismiss a former franchisee’s complaint, finding the former franchisee sufficiently pleaded the franchisor coerced the franchisee into signing a general release....more
A federal court in Florida recently granted a franchisor’s motion to dismiss a franchisee’s claim for breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, but allowed a claim for breach of contract to proceed....more
A federal court in Wisconsin ruled that Dairy Queen did not breach a 1952 franchise agreement with a franchisee by requiring a prospective buyer of the franchise to sign an updated franchise agreement. Dairy Queen and a...more
A Tim Hortons franchisee sued the franchisor for breach of six franchise agreements and an area development agreement. Tim Hortons counterclaimed for breach of contract based on failure by the franchisee to meet the...more
A federal district court in Nevada partly denied a franchisor’s summary judgment motion on claims brought by a franchisee. IJL Midwest entered into several franchise agreements with a franchisor of a dating and...more
Zubair Kazi operated a KFC franchise in Pueblo, Colorado since the 1980s. In 2019, KFC approved another individual to open a KFC restaurant in Pueblo. Kazi sued, claiming KFC breached its implied duty of good faith and fair...more
A recent federal court decision explores the concept of associational standing, the right of an association of franchisees to sue a franchisor on behalf of its member franchises. In APFA Inc. v. UTAP Management, LLC, the...more
A federal court in New Hampshire found a multi-unit operator of five Planet Fitness gyms plausibly alleged the franchisor interfered with its business relationships and denied Planet Fitness’ motion for judgment on the...more
A federal district court denied KFC’s defensive summary judgment motion, enabling its franchisee to go to trial on claims against KFC for breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing by opening a competing...more
On competing motions for a temporary restraining order (“TRO”) by ReBath – a nationwide bathroom remodeling franchisor, and its terminated franchisee, ReBath prevailed in restraining the ex-franchisee’s further operations. A...more
A federal court in New Jersey denied a 7-Eleven franchisee’s motion for a temporary restraining order. The franchisee sought an order enjoining 7-Eleven from enforcing various franchise agreement provisions, including charges...more
Welcome to The Franchise Memorandum by Lathrop GPM. Below are summaries of recent legal developments of interest to franchisors. Fifth Circuit Reverses Trial Court’s Excusal of Area Representative’s Tardy Renewal Notice -...more
Welcome to The Franchise Memorandum by Lathrop GPM, formerly known as The GPMemorandum. Periodically, The Franchise Memorandum focuses on topics primarily of interest to companies that use distributors and dealers rather than...more
A Massachusetts state court ruled that real estate franchisor, Re/Max of New England (Franchisor), breached its franchise agreements, the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing and violated Massachusetts’ consumer...more
A federal appeals court reversed dismissal of a claim against a barbeque restaurant franchisor. The court found that, despite having signed releases in favor of the franchisor, a former franchisee had valid claims for...more
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit upheld a New Jersey district court’s decision that 7-Eleven did not violate the New Jersey Franchise Practices Act (NJFPA) after the franchisor terminated a New Jersey...more
In a recent win for franchisor 7-Eleven, Inc., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit upheld a New Jersey district court’s ruling that 7-Eleven properly terminated its franchise agreements for cause based on the...more
A franchisor's ability to set renewal terms can bind franchisees to terms in a later franchise agreement before the renewal agreement even exists. In a recent case, a franchisor could enforce a hypothetical non-compete...more
FRANCHISOR 101: Franchisee Not Bound by Arbitration Provision - In March 2013, Edison Subs, LLC, a Subway franchisee/transferee, filed a complaint in New Jersey against Subway and Aliya Patel (the original...more